Dallas, Texas
"Do I get a hint?" Sue Ellen sat close to JR in the back of the limousine, still wondering where they were going and what his plan was. "I suppose you can have one small hint", he thought for a moment, deciding how much he wanted to tell her, so far she didn't know a thing, not even that they were heading to the airport right now, "you're not going to need any of the winter clothes you packed". She laughed; she assumed that he'd looked in her suitcase this morning, because she hadn't told him about her packing conundrum. "So I guess we're going somewhere hot and sunny? That sounds wonderful right now", winter in Texas wasn't as warm as non-Texans assumed it was and she always missed summer when it was gone, a honeymoon somewhere tropical sounded perfect. She assumed it was somewhere tropical, though his sentence was vague enough that it could have really meant anything; either way, she knew that JR had something wonderful planned.
Sue Ellen looked out the window as they flew, first over land, and then over sea, still not really knowing where they were going; their flight was heading to Miami first, but JR assured her that Miami was not their final destination, it was merely a necessary stop because there were no direct flights to their destination from Dallas. "You don't like surprises very much do you?" he observed her as she looked through the flight book provided by the airline, she had been studying the map intermittently throughout the flight, as if she were trying to match up the locations outside to the printed flight routes. She laughed, she hadn't realised how obvious she was being, "no, not really; especially now that I know there is a surprise, I can't stop thinking about it" she confessed. JR smiled at her childlike inquisitiveness, it was endearing; "I'll keep that in mind for future reference. Now, I suppose you've earned another hint. We'll be staying at a beach resort somewhere in the Caribbean, the sand is white and the water is clear blue. The resort has everything including a swimming pool, tennis court and three restaurants; one of them even has live entertainment. But don't worry, the islands have a lot more to offer than just our resort, there are designer shops, historical sites and other activities. I don't plan on doing anything too strenuous though, I want us to have time to enjoy being together" he grinned at her, letting her know that their honeymoon would include a whole lot of time alone together. Sue Ellen's face lit up as she heard the word Caribbean, she'd been tossing up between three possible destinations, the Florida Keys, Mexico, or the Caribbean, though Mexico was ruled out as soon as she heard they were flying to Miami. She'd never been to the Caribbean before, but she'd seen pictures and it looked lovely, she grew more excited as JR continued to describe the island, it sounded like the perfect honeymoon paradise. "Oh JR, it sounds wonderful. Thank you" she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss him, wanting him to feel loved and appreciated, he was already proving himself to be a wonderful husband.
Saint John, United States Virgin Islands
Almost seven hours after they left Dallas, they began their descent into the island paradise; the surprise of their exact destination had been spoiled in Miami when they picked up their boarding passes for their connecting flight, though Sue Ellen didn't mind, it didn't make it any less exciting. The sun was just setting as the flight came in to land and Sue Ellen was only able to get a brief glimpse of the landscape from the air before it became completely dark outside. The boat ride from the island of Saint Thomas, where the airport was located, was almost surreal; Sue Ellen couldn't believe that they were really here. JR was relieved when she didn't question the lack of customs and passport control at the airport, technically they were in a US territory and he didn't want her to feel gypped. Though being here now, he didn't think she would, it really didn't feel like anywhere he'd ever been, and it was totally different to Texas; this place was exactly the way his travel agent had described, it was the best of both worlds. His father had asked that he stay within the US, just in case Ewing Oil business required him to cut his honeymoon short and come back to Dallas in a hurry; travelling was always easier when there was no border hassle. He'd listened to his father, initially planning a trip to the Florida Keys, thinking that it was the closest thing he would get to a romantic island honeymoon, but in a moment of brilliance, he'd thought to ask the travel agent about island territories and she'd suggested the US Virgin Islands. He knew his father's request was directed at staying within the continental United States, but technically, he hadn't actually said that, and in JR's mind that's all that mattered.
They checked in and were shown to their private villa, one of a series of villas in the resort; JR nodded approvingly as the bellhop showed them around and Sue Ellen just looked around in amazement. Their accommodation was bigger and more luxurious than she could have ever imagined; the things JR was capable of constantly surprised her, she'd never met anyone with such power and force before. It took a little getting used to that she was his wife, and she could really have anything she wanted just by mentioning his name. Sue Ellen wandered into the bedroom as JR started to discuss hotel facility details with the bellhop, she was content to let JR decide what they would do, he was good at making decisions and she trusted him. The view from the bedroom was spectacular, the beach was almost close enough to touch and the ocean view was just beautiful, there were yachts anchored in the bay, and hills on either side of the beach, it really was picture-postcard perfect. "Thank you", JR tipped the bellhop and he showed himself out, "Sue Ellen?" he called out, she'd left the room but he wasn't sure where she'd gone, "I'm in the bedroom", she replied before deciding to go and find him herself. JR was just walking through the living room as she came running out of the bedroom, "I missed you" she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him; he didn't know what had caused her sudden excitement, but he wasn't complaining, deepening the kiss and slowly unzipping her dress, leaving no doubt as to his intentions. Sue Ellen giggled as her dress fell to the ground, everything was such a novelty now, it was all new and exciting, and in a small way, she still felt like she was breaking the rules by allowing him to do things like that. The best part of the feeling was when she realised that it wasn't wrong and she was allowed to let herself enjoy his attention. JR smiled to himself as she giggled, she really was very cute and innocent when she acted that way, he liked knowing that she was actually enjoying herself, she deserved it after years of self-discipline, and he loved knowing that she was learning everything from him.
JR looked at his watch as they lay on the couch together, spooning in their afterglow, "I made a dinner reservation for eight", he casually commented; it was just after seven local time, an hour ahead of Dallas. "I suppose that means that we have to get up then?" she replied, not wanting to move from her spot in his arms. "Well, I could call and cancel, but we hardly ate anything today and I'm hungry, and I'm afraid I'm not much use for anything when I'm hungry" he grinned as he spoke, though she couldn't see his face. She laughed at his casual comment, slowly turning to face him, almost sure that he was grinning, his voice just had that inflection, "we couldn't have that now could we?" she lightly kissed his lips before moving to stand up. "I'm going to take a shower…" she turned back toward the bedroom and JR took the opportunity to watch her body move as she walked, it was a different experience to when she was fully clothed. As she disappeared from sight, he stood and began to follow her path, "maybe I'll join you" he replied, as if he were speaking to her, but knowing that she couldn't hear him, not that it really mattered though.
To be continued…